Drying-machine.



B. A. PARKES.

DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, I916. L m wqh Patented Apr. 22,1919.

6 SHEETS-SHEET l.

GENO MW B. A.- PARKES.

DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 21. 1916- 1 3m QQ Patented Apr; 22, 1919.

6 $HEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG 1 7, amm

B. PARKES.

DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-21.19M-

1 ,EQ]. 594k, Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

B. A. PARKES. DRYING MAIII'HNE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT 21. 1916.

I I l l I 1 x I l L 1 l l l l I r 2 I I I l I x I l l l I| Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

6 SHEETSSHEET 5.

Bartram/Z Fm i 1 v I H L L lllllllllh I 1 I l l I I u F I l l l 4 l l I I i I I l I I I l 1 1 1 B. A. PARKES.

DRYING MACHINE.

FIG M APPLICATION man SEPT. 2:, 1916. l ggl figzl Patented Apr. 22,1919. s SHEETS-SHEET 6.

hurrah srnrns rnrnnr @FFTQE.

BERT

ll .L-i'. PARKES, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PHILA- DELPHIA DRYING MACHINERY CDIVIPANY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION 0E PENNSYLVANIA.

DRYING-IMGHINE.

menses...

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Apr, as, rare.

Application filed September 21, 1916; Serial No. 121,403.

2 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, BERTRAND A. PARKEB, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drying-Machines, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings.

The invention relates to improvements in drying machines comprising a drying compartment traversed by a conveyer upon which the material to be treated is supported in festoons during passage through the machine.

in handling certain classes of goods, such as pile fabrics or the like, the slightest abrasion or contact invariably results in streaks or other blemishes when the fabric is finally dried. This is also true in drying fabrics dyed in delicate shades of coloring. lln the formation of festoons, as above noted, it very often happens that entanglements and wrinkling occur from various causes which ultimately prove detrimental to the fabrics.

This invention has been particularly directed toward obviating these objections and the apparatus constructed accordingly includes an air nozzle, which, in conjunctlon with other cotiperative parts, affords an improved method of forming festoons, whereby wrinkling or contact between the sides of the loops is positively prevented during their formation.

As a further precaution toward the prevention of the objections cited, my invention contemplates the use of a conveyer, (-oiipcratively associated with a feeding devicein such a manner as to ad'ord the requisite time intervals necessary to the formation'of perfect fabric loops.

In the drawin s, Figure l[, is an elevation of a drying mac ine conveniently illustrating the adaptation of my invention thereto.

Fig. II, is a plan view of the same. Fig. HI, is a partial longitudinal sectlonal view through the forward end of the ma- 1, through which an intermittently operated which are united by cross bars 4, adapted to support the fabric in festoons during passage through the machine by the 'cobperation of detaining pins 5, secured in the said bars. Each of these chains passes over sprockets 6, 7, 3, 9, of which the one numbered 9, serves as a driver, it being mounted upon a counter shaft 10, which also carries a ratchet wheel 11. This ratchet is intermittently rotated by a pawl 12, pivotally carried upon an arm 13, which is loosely fulcrumed about the end of the shaft 10, and oscillated by a link 15, through the instrumentalityv of an adjustable crank 16. This crank is mounted upon a shaft 1?, which, by the interposition of a reducing gear train lhj is driven from the main shaft 19, having the usual cone pulleys 20, for variable speed transmission.

The heated air within the drying chamber 1, is constantly circulated in a lateral direction by means of a plurality of fans, of

which one is indicated at 21. These fans are mounted upon shafts 22, which may be driven in any'convenient manner.

The material to be dried, represented at M, is drawn from a supply roll (not shown), over a spreader 23, by means of an intermittently revolving drum 25, which is mounted upon a shaft 26, having a pulley 27, adapted to be driven by a constantly moving slack belt 28. The rotation of the drum is automatically controlled through an arm 29, fulcrumed about a fixed pivot 30, upon the structural frame of the machine and comprising at one extremity a .cam piece 31, lying within the path of the outer ends of the supporting bar 5, of the conveyor. When the said cam piece is engaged by one of the conveyer bars as illustrated in Figs. T, and TH, its opposite extremity 32, is depressed, thereby withdrawing the detaining lug 33, thereon from the path of the interrupted stop ring 35, carried by the drum.

The drum is thereby freed so as to be rotated by virtue of the tension applied to the belt 28, coincident with the movement of the lever 29, just described. This is accomplished by means of an adjustable link 36, connecting the said lever with a counter balanced arm 37, which is fulcrumed at 38, and carries the idler pulley 39.

As hereinbefore noted, the slack belt 28,

is constantly driven but the propelling pul: ley has not been shown in the drawings. llt, however, receives its power through suitable gear connections with the line shaft 40, see Figs. 1, and II, which is in turn driven by means of bevel gears 41, from a counter shaft 42, comprised by the reducing gear mechanism already described.

After passing over drum 25, the fabric is fed by a guide roll 43, between the bars of the conveyer in a manner best illustrated in Fig. H1.- The guide roller 43, is driven at a surface speed slightly in excess of thatof the drum through a sprocket chain connection conventionally represented at 44, by the dot and dash lines in Fig. I, so that the fabric is maintained under slight tension at this point. The roller i3, is circumferentially grooved at'intervals for the reception of stripper guards 45, which prevent adherence of the fabric to the roll, and by means of their downward extensions, also prevent contact of the fabric with the next succeeding supporting bar at.

The idle periods of the conveyer afi'ord the requisite time intervals necessary for the formation of the festoon loops which are thereby all rendered uniform and their size dependent upon the proper timing of the drum The fabric is finally discharged from the machine over a roller 4.6, which feeds the same .to a suitable folding mechanism 47. This mechanism forms no part of the present invention and, therefore, warrants no further description herein. The discharge roller 46, is positively driven from the line shaft 40, through the bevel gears indicated at 48, in Figs. T, and H.

ltn feeding the fabric to a machine of this type, it sometimes accumulates upon the conveyer bars rather than form into loops, with a resulting abrasion of the fabric surface. This is highly objectionable in materials such as delicate pile fabrics or the like, since the results of the abrasions will damage the appearance of the 'goods when the drying operation is completed. Tn addition, it would be necessary to stop the machine to eliminate this trouble. Furthermore, entanglements sometimes occur for various reasons which cause the sides of the festoon loops to contact with each other durmg formation, or then again the edges of the cloth are apt to be overturned, or the cloth become wrinkled. Each of these abnormal conditions tends to leave objectionable traces in the finished product of the machine.

Tn order to entirely eliminate these difficulties, the following additional features have been incorporated in the machine: An air nozzle 50, is directed, as shown in Fig. III, to a point between the conveyer bars at the loop forming station. A portion of eoneea the air circulated by means of the fans in the drying chamber is conducted to the nozzle through an extension 51, havingthe triangular cross sectional contour shown. The flow of air fromthe nozzle is subject to the control of a leaf valve 52, hinged at 58, and

provided with a handle 55, which may be secured in various adjusted positions along the sector slot 56, bya suitable clamp screw 57.

- As a further means for controlling and deflecting the air toward the nozzle, a bafle plate 58 (indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1, and 11,), has been provided. This plate may be manually shifted toward or away from the fan by manipulating a rod 59, which protrudes through" one of the side walls of the inclosure and is provided with an operating-handle 60. The air from the nozzle is directed'to impinge upon-the fabric as it is fed downwardly between the corn veyer supporting bars, so that it is laid evenly across the same and properly engaged by the detaining pins 5.

The form of my invention portrayed in Figs. IV, V, .and VI, differs from the above in being adapted to a machine having a modified loop forming device forfabrics which may be' handled from either side, and the modification favors the employment of a more compact nozzle.

The fabric is drawn into the machine over a guide roll 70, by a pair of inter-geared feed rolls 71, and 72, which may be intermittently progressed in any approved manner through geared connections with the line shaft 74, see Fig. V. After passing over the latter, the material is directed between the bars ?'8, of the conveyer 75, by means of a roller 76, with which strippers 77, similar to those already described, are associated in the performance of like functions. The looping is accomplished by the coiiperation of gravity rolls 78, whose trunnions 79, play within the confines of the inclined slots 80, comprised by fixed brackets 81. As the conveyer bars move beneath these rolls the fabric is ch se tively clamped thereby, and held during the formation of the loops.

The air nozzle 82, in this instance, is

"formed at the lower end of an auxiliary air chamber 83, which communicates with the interior of the drying compartment by means of" an elbowed conduit 85, the opening 86, of which faces the pressure side of the circulating fan 8?, as shown in Figs. TV, and V, so that a portion of the air current is directed to the chamber 83. The adjustment of the nozzle is effected through a spring plate 88, which may be swung into any desired position and thereafter clamped by suitable thumb screws 89, which engage lateral ears 90, projecting from said plate.

It will thus be seen that in both forms of my invention, by directing the air into the claim V iaonaea I c since these may be greatly varied, depending entirely upon the to be dried.

Having thus described my invention, 1

character of the material 1. in a drying machine, the combination of a drying chamber; a conveyer for the material to be dried passing through the said chamber, means for forming festoons upon the cpnveyer; and an air nozzle cooperating with the said festoon forming means. I

. -2. lln a drying machine, the combination of a drying chamber; a conveyer passing through the said chamber, and comprising supporting bars for the" material to be for supplying air under pressure to the said nozzle.

3. In a drying machine, the combination of a drying chamber; a fan circulating air within the said chamber, a conveyer passing through the said chamber and comprising supporting bars for the material to be dried; means for forming festoons upon said bars, including a feed roll for the material; an air nozzle; and means for directing air under pressure from the said fan to the said nozzle.

4. In a drying machine, the combination of a drying chamber; a fan for circulating the air within the said chamber; an intermittently operated conveyer passing through the said chamber; spaced supporting bars forming part of the said conveyer; means for feeding the material in festoons between adjacent bars during the idle periods of the conveyer; and an air nozzle directed Within the loop of the festoon during its formation.

5.'1n a drying machine, the combination of a drying chamber; a fan for circulating the air Within the said chamber; an intermittently operated conveyer passing through the said chamber; spaced supporting bars forming part of the said conveyer; means for feeding the material in festoons between adjacent bars during the idle periods of the conveyer; and an air nozzle directed within the loop of the festoon during its formation, and means for adjusting the fiow of air from the said nozzle.

6. in a drying machine, the combination of a drying chamber; a fan for circulating the air in the said chamber; an intermittently operated conveyer passing through the said chamber; spaced supporting bars forming part of the said conveyer; means for feeding the material in festoons between adjacent bars of the conveyer, including a feed roll; an air nozzle directed within the loop of the festoon during its formation; an auxiliary air chamber for the said nozzle; and an air supply conduit terminating at the pressure side .of the circulating fan,

, whereby a portion of the air circulated in the drying chamber is directed to the said nozzle; v

7; lin a drying machine, the.combination of a drying chamber; an intermittently operated conveyer passing through the said chamber and comprising supporting bars for the material to be dried; means for forming festoons on the said bars including an intermittently operated feed drum; and interposed device's whereby the operation of said drum may be directly controlled from the said conveyer.

'8. In a drying machine, the combination of a drying chamber; a fan for circulating the drying medium within the said chamber; an intermittently operated conveyer,

comprising supporting bars for the material to be dried; means for forming festoons on the said bars including an intermittently operated feed drum; and interposed de-1 vices whereby the operation of-said drum may be directly controlled from the said conveyer and rendered active during the idle periods of the conveyer.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- Vania, this nineteenth day of September,

BERTRAND A. PARKES Witnesses:

JAMES H. BELL, E. L. Fnnrnnron. 

